Botkiller 2

In August 1998 Artex Software announced a sequel to their popular freeware platform game Botkiller (available from their website). The original game, first distributed on an Acorn User coverdisc and then later across the internet, was well received thanks to its fiendish puzzles and charming attention to detail.

Imaginatively entitled Botkiller 2, the successor has been completely recoded and now features large, scrolling levels, unlike the original's static screens. The graphics have also all been massively improved, quite apart from being made much larger. As the screenshots on this page testify, the game is looking quite pretty and reveals the same fine attention to detail that makes Artex's products stand out (and the lack of which has marred so many home-grown Acorn games in the past).

Botkiller 2 sports over 25 levels across five different areas with six different enemy robot types. It also features five original pieces of music. In fact, the only thing that hasn't been improved in this sequel is the price - this new version will cost £15. Botkiller 2 has just been released for sale - watch out for a full review on this site soon! I've spent some time playing it so far, however, and it has to be said
that it's retained the addictive qualities of the original - as well as the
infuriating puzzles! Details on how to buy the game should appear on Wag Software's web site soon.

Darklands,
Fantasia's ToyParty
and VOTI's EMD
have all reported signs of life in the recent past, whilst
Skirmish
is apparently still ongoing but is way behind schedule and it looks like it might well
never make it out.
TEK and
Iron Dignity
are still on the way, although again both are pretty heavily delayed. And as for R-Comp's
port of F16 Fighting Falcon, it looks
like it will never be released, having been killed by frame-rates that were just too low.